Goblin Army Subjugation (3)
The clash between the goblin general’s axe and Kiene’s greatsword rang out with a heavy thud.
—Boom!
Caught off guard by the unexpected counterattack, the goblin general paused for a moment. I shouted at the frozen group of adventurers.
“Hey! Stop standing there like idiots and support us! Keep the surrounding goblins from protecting their general!”
There were only three of them, but still. It might seem harsh, but if we couldn’t take out the goblin general here, this battle was as good as lost.
By now, the other strike team that had been hitting the rear had joined us as well. Their losses didn’t seem too severe. After watching Kiene and the goblin general fight, they quickly realized they were out of their depth and focused on holding back the surrounding goblins.
—Boom!
—Crash!
The continuous sound of greatsword and axe clashing echoed across the battlefield. Surprisingly, Kiene held the upper hand in raw strength.
“Gwoooooooaaaaaaa!!!!!”
The goblin general let out a furious roar, enraged that the fight wasn’t going its way. The ear-piercing shriek made Kiene’s movements falter for a split second—and the goblin general seized the opening, swinging its axe in a wide arc.
No!
I’d been watching for a chance to jump in. I rushed between the goblin general and Kiene in an instant.
Bang!
The sound of the goblin general’s axe slamming into my shield rang out, and both Kiene and I were sent flying backward.
Damn, that’s insanely strong… Just how high is its strength stat?
The impact was so massive my arms were shaking. Even though I’d leaped back the moment the axe touched my shield, the force was still this overwhelming. For Kiene to have been trading blows with this monster the whole time… she really was incredible.
I steadied my stance and leveled my spear at the goblin general once more.
“Kiene, circle around to the side.”
I needed to draw its full attention onto me. I deliberately lowered my shield and taunted the creature.
“Come on then, you oversized piece of trash.”
“Kuo000000!”
The provocation worked perfectly. The enraged goblin general charged at me, axe raised high.
—Boom!
—Crash!
Each strike was filled with murderous intent, as if it wanted to crush me into paste. I gritted my teeth and kept blocking with my shield. The sheer weight of the blows felt like a massive hammer trying to pound me into the ground. My legs were starting to give out.
This is my limit… Kiene…!
Slash.
Kiene suddenly appeared at the goblin general’s flank and delivered a devastating cut. The strike was unbelievably clean. After severing its left arm, her greatsword plunged deep into its side.
“Kwooooooooaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!”
A horrifying scream like metal scraping against metal shook the earth. At the same time, a shockwave erupted around the goblin general, blasting Kiene away.
Shit… Phase two is starting.
The goblin general’s body was gradually turning red. Its already bulging muscles swelled even larger. I’d hoped we could skip this part…
The bleeding from its severed arm had already stopped. This was the second phase that triggered once the goblin general’s health dropped below a certain threshold.
In its [Berserker] state, the goblin general became a literal mad warrior. It was a mid-boss that had slaughtered countless players with its vicious attack patterns.
The silver lining was that most of the goblin army’s main forces had gathered here. Thanks to that, the adventurer party that had attacked the rear was able to join us with relatively intact strength.
“Hey! We’re here to help.”
A brown-haired adventurer covered in wounds approached me.
“…With a body like that, what exactly are you planning to help with? Just keep the other goblins from interfering.”
Thanks to their arrival, I finally had the breathing room to drink the Transcendence Potion.
I spoke to Kiene, who was breathing heavily.
“Hey. Go join up with those adventurers now.”
“…What about you?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle the rest from here.”
The moment I finished speaking, I gulped down the Transcendence Potion. It felt like swallowing liquor with an absurdly high alcohol content—my esophagus burned as if it were on fire.
Then came an overwhelming sense of omnipotence, followed by a strange sensation as if my very existence was fading away.
This is only the second time I’ve drunk it, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.
The goblin general, now completely red, was charging at me to tear me apart. I activated Invincibility.
Invincibility
Duration: 180 seconds
Three minutes remaining. Within that time, I had to kill the goblin general, clean up the battlefield, and get to safety.
The goblin general’s axe was already right in front of my eyes.
—But it was far too slow.
My dramatically enhanced dynamic vision made the axe look as if it had stopped completely. I twisted my body slightly to dodge, then thrust the spear in my hand straight into the goblin general’s abdomen.
The synergy between the massive health boost from the Transcendence Potion, Goliath’s Shield, and Melek’s Spear created a terrifyingly powerful strike.
Shuk.
I felt the spear pierce through something. At the same time, the goblin general’s fist slammed into my side… or tried to. It only managed to push me back slightly.
“Gwoh…?”
The goblin general let out a stunned groan. Its fist, which had struck me, was crushed into a grotesque shape.
It was proof of just how much power had been behind that punch.
Realizing it couldn’t harm me, the goblin general kicked off the ground and retreated a good distance. It looked terrified.
Even a goblin general in [Berserker] state can feel fear?
I closed the distance using leg strength that had increased several times over. The overwhelming pressure it had shown during its [Rampage] state was gone. Now it was fleeing in panic.
But the potion’s duration was steadily ticking down. Once Invincibility and the potion both ended, the same excruciating pain from before would hit me again.
Before that happened, I needed to create an environment where I could collapse safely.
89… 88…
I smashed my shield into the goblin general’s head with all my might.
Clang!
With a clear ringing sound, its head snapped back violently. I followed up with a spear thrust. That was enough to kill it.
A pitiful end compared to the intimidating presence it had shown earlier.
“…The goblin general has been defeated!!!!”
Cheers erupted from all around. But this wasn’t the end—it was only the beginning.
I tried to join the adventurer party to wreak as much havoc as possible while my time remained. The goblins had lost their morale after their general’s death. But knowing they would die whether they retreated or not, they didn’t flee.
Bwoo—!
The horn sounded again, and fireballs began raining down on the goblin horde. After the bombardment passed, the territorial forces outside the barricades started advancing. They must have confirmed the general’s death.
“Now! Charge!!”
Commander Louis’s voice rang out from afar.
I turned my head to look at Kiene. She was swinging her greatsword with visible exhaustion, surrounded by hobgoblins. It seemed they had instinctively realized she was the strongest fighter here besides me.
20… 19…
I rushed toward her in a hurry. At the same time, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion crashed over my body. In an instant, I slaughtered every hobgoblin surrounding her.
“You… are you okay?… Your face…”
My complexion must have looked terrible enough for even Kiene to notice.
5… 4…
“Hey… just one favor…”
…1.
The potion’s duration ended along with Invincibility.
And then came the massive tsunami of agonizing pain.
“Stay…”
I couldn’t finish the words alive and protect me before I lost consciousness in the torrent of pain.
“Stay…”
Stay alive..?
Even in the moment he was losing consciousness, that man was still worrying about me?
Why?
We had only met yesterday at the adventurers’ guild.
My heart pounded violently. It wasn’t the frantic beating of exhaustion—it was something else. A strange sensation I had never felt before in my life.
But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. Goblins were swarming around me and Logue.
An uncontrollable rage engulfed my body.
The request I had hesitated to accept because the pay was so good. But it had a limit of only two people. The man whose face I had glimpsed while passing by at the academy. I later learned his name was Logue, but I hadn’t remembered much about him.
I had simply accepted his proposal because he seemed more trustworthy than a complete stranger. That was the extent of our relationship.
Why…?
Throughout the entire battle, he had never taken his eyes off me. As if it would be unacceptable for anything to happen to me.
And every time danger approached, he had stepped in front of me.
Even with a deathly pale face, Logue had worried about me right until the moment he collapsed.
Why are you so concerned about me..?
My anger surged toward the goblins coming to attack him. I poured every ounce of strength I had into swinging my greatsword at them.
I felt something warm trickle down my cheek.
Not long after, thanks to Logue, we were able to annihilate every last goblin that had lost its commander.
“Hey… are you alright?”
It was the person who had explained the strategy to Logue and me before the battle began. I couldn’t remember his name.
“…Logue… please help him…”
I entrusted Logue to him, then lost consciousness under the crushing wave of exhaustion.